Question:
What do I do now?

I already have the letter from my PCP asking for precert and preapproval for surgery and related treatment. I have made appointments with the internal medicine specialist, dietician and psych eval as well as with Dr. Patterson. Will my insurance (Aetna) contact me saying that I have been preapproved or do I wait until my appt with Dr. P? Is that the job of the surgeon's office? I'm very confused with the whole process. Any info would be appreciated.    — jenn2002 (posted on July 22, 2001)

July 23, 2001
I have surgery through Aetna. This is how it went for me: 1. Got a referal to the surgeon from my PCP for a consultation. 2. Attended the orientation/information session for the surgeon. This step was required by the surgeon before setting up the consultation appoint. 3. Had the consultation with the surgeon. He ordered the necessary tests. The tests covered pre-op types of things to make sure I was healthy enough for surgery and also to document any comorbidities. The surgeon also had me list all previous diet attempts and the results. 4. Surgeon's office submitted the request for surgery approval to the insurance company. 5. Aetna notified the surgeon of my approval in about three weeks (this was over the Christmas/New Year's holiday). 6. Surgeon's office contacted me to set a surgery date. Note that I did not have any contact with the insurance company. The surgeon's office took care of all of that. No psych consult was required nor was a dietician consult required. You might want to let the surgeon's office direct what testing and/or consults are needed. They are the experts and are the ones you know what to submit for approval after all.
   — Gina E.